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Matthew Vaughn?s spy caper sequel opens bigger than a string of 2017 summer blockbusters; while Stephen King horror drops into second place The reviews may have been mixed, but producer-director-writer Matthew Vaughn once again demonstrates his savvy populist instinct. The darkly comic spy adventure opens in the UK with £6.2m, with Wednesday and Thursday previews taking that tally to a five-day £8.53m. This compares with a £3.56m debut for 2015?s Kingsman: The Secret Service, or £4.24m including previews. Continue reading...

Restoring Linda Hamilton and James Cameron to the man versus the machines saga could be a smart move, but plenty of great directors ? from Ridley Scott to George Lucas ? have stalled when returning to past gloriesIn the realm of Hollywood sci-fi, only one future is guaranteed. If a movie finds even a modicum of success with audiences, it will eventually be remade or turned into the starting point for a franchise. Who would have thought that a well-received but largely forgotten 1973 thriller about a wild west-style amusement park whose android cowboys turn on their guests would spark the best new television show of last year, in HBO?s Westworld? And who might have imagined in 1984 that The Terminator, a low budget futuristic vision from rookie film-maker James Cameron, would still be knocking around Hollywood 20 years after the date upon which the machines were supposed to have destroyed human civilisation? Related: Sarah Connor returns: Linda Hamilton to star in Terminator 6 after 25-year absence Continue reading...

A new trailer reveals Beatrix Potter?s gentle rabbit has been turned into a house-trashing, cocky jerk. It looks like he?s gone the way of Postman Pat and ThunderbirdsIn a concrete bunker situated miles below civilisation lives a crack team of scientists dedicated to one thing and one thing only: ruining Peter Rabbit as comprehensively as they possibly can.Parents of young children might be fooled into thinking that their mission has already been a success. After all, there?s already a CBeebies Peter Rabbit adaptation that paints the sedate, 115-year-old Beatrix Potter character as a go-get-?em adventurer whose escapades are typically soundtracked by a series of nightmarish sub-Levellers songs about standing your ground and laughing in the face of danger. Continue reading...

Forget directors, the real stars behind the likes of The Jungle Book and Star Wars are the VFX artists who build their digital worlds. We report from the cutting edge festival offering a glimpse into the secret life of cinema?So I need to know: Are you ready to be transformed?? shouts Scott Ross to the 900-strong crowd in the auditorium. They respond with raucous applause. To them, Ross is a legend. He ran George Lucas?s visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in the 1980s, then founded his own Oscar-winning effects firm with James Cameron. His audience is largely made up of young people looking to follow in his footsteps: animators, video game designers, concept artists, illustrators and effects specialists. These are the people who build the digital worlds where we?re increasingly spending our leisure time ? in movies, games, and virtual reality. They are transforming culture and they?ve come here to transform themselves, even if they?re not exactly sure what into.Welcome to Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn. If the name sounds odd, that seems to be the idea. It takes place in Troia, Portugal, an idyllic peninsula just south of Lisbon. Its organisers describe it as ?Burning Man meets TED Talks?, though it?s equally a spiritual retreat. Students and young professionals come here from across the world, as do big industry names looking to hire new talent, make connections and softly promote their brands ? brands such as Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, Google, Oculus (the Facebook-owned VR company), King (the makers of Candy Crush Saga) and Unity (makers of the pre-eminent game engine). Continue reading...

Actor who emigrated to the US during Czechoslovakia?s communist era was best known for his appearances in The Karate Kid Part III and Quantum Leap Actor Jan T?íska, who moved to the US after being banned by Czechoslovakia?s communist regime, has died after falling from Prague?s iconic Charles Bridge. He was 80. Prague theatre director Jan Hru?ínský confirmed T?íska?s death on Monday. The actor died in Prague?s military hospital overnight due to injuries from the fall on Saturday, the circumstances of which remain unclear. Continue reading...

We are living in the era imagined by science-fiction films ? but is reality really mirroring fiction? Related: Deadly reality TV and sex robots: what can we learn from films set in 2017? Police cars can?t fly, artificial snakes are not commercially available, and the exodus to off-world colonies has not yet begun, but we?re already living in the world of Blade Runner ? chronologically, at least. The original movie is set in 2019. Rutger Hauer?s replicant-in-chief has been activated since January 2016. He might be watching attack ships off the shoulder of Orion as we speak. Continue reading...

Thanks to Judi Dench, Victoria now reigns supreme as the most popular character ever in British films. But who are the pretenders to her throne?Queen Victoria has replaced Sherlock Homes as the most featured character on British screens. According to a study by the British Film Institute, the monarch now is jointly tied with James Bond, on 25 films ? thanks to Judi Dench?s turn in Victoria and Abdul. But which other enduring characters have appeared multiple times in the movies around the world? Continue reading...

Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the co-chairs of celebrated British production outfit Working Title talk to the Guardian?s Peter Bradshaw about their long and varied careers, including the glory days of the Richard Curtis romcoms Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, and their newest films Victoria & Abdul and Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour. Continue reading...

The wife-and-husband team set up their own production company to tackle Hollywood?s persistent diversity problemThe actor Julius Tennon is thrilled to be appearing alongside his Oscar-winning wife, Viola Davis, in the new season of her hit show, How to Get Away with Murder, later this month. It is rare they work together onscreen.Offscreen, however, the power couple spend much of their time working together for they have a joint mission: to change the face of Hollywood by increasing diversity across the industry. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning actor will continue to be based in London as officials in Rome confirm he now holds dual nationalityMany of the threats and promises exchanged during the row over Brexit have yet to be tested by time, but this weekend at least one has come to pass. The Oscar-winning film actor and producer Colin Firth, unmoved by Theresa May?s pronouncements in Florence, has accepted Italian citizenship, according to the Italian interior ministry in Rome. Related: Kingsman: The Golden Circle review ? spy sequel reaches new heights of skyscraping silliness Continue reading...

CinemaBlend

In The Florida Project, twenty-something hustler Halley struggles to make ends meet for herself and her precocious daughter, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince). The role went to unforgettable newcomer Bria Vinaite, who is spectacular and incendiary. It almost went to Britney Spears.

Most people are terrified of clowns. Some people want to have sex with them. And then there are big corporations, like Burger King, who apparently want to shut down famous clowns like Pennywise the Dancing Clown for bizarre reasons.